"IT'S got a pan European audience, you know," said a young man in the VIP section at the Tivoli Theatre on Tuesday night further proof that all those media studies courses have a lot to answer for.
We were there for the TV recording of a concert by Britpop band Suede and, as the TV station in question was MTV, most of the audience arrived suitably dressed in bare bellied hipsters (and that was just the guys) slavishly following lead singer Brett Anderson's fashion lead.
The camera frequently turned on the super enthusiastic audience, so parents in several households up and down the country should prepare for hysteria on October 22nd, when the show will be aired. Producer of the show was Dubliner Emer Patten - she's got the entirely covetable job of senior producer of the 24 hour music station. The Artane born 31 year old was one of the first crop of Communications grads from DCU where she was in class with broadcaster Pat O'Mahoney. He was on hand on Tuesday night to play DJ as a sort of warmup as if all those overheated teens needed it. After the recording, anyone who still had the energy headed northside to the Temple Theatre for the "wrap" party for the Guinness In The City music fest. It turned out to be a far better party than the theatre's lavish opening night party the night before, largely because the DJs were the big names from the London and Manchester clubbing scenes and the crowd of over 2,000 people was definitely livelier.
Paul McGuinness and B.P. Fallon were our more recognisable music types at the party but the place was stuffed with important international music industry people including Arthur Baker - best known for producing Al Green and Bob Dylan.